Nymph and Ikaros qualify at 11th hour
By JR Salazar (Bongaboi)
March 6, 2010
Certainly Ui Hirasawa didn't expect one of the rudest awakenings from older sister Yui Saturday afternoon.
"Ui, wake up!" she squealed.
"Onee-chan...what is it?"
"You're in! You're in! Ui, you're in! Hurry, Mio-chan and everyone are waiting for you at the school."
"Okay, but could you at least give me time to shower and eat lunch?"
After three nerve-racking preliminary phases, the Hirasawa sisters were finally reunited for the 2010 International Saimoe League. Cameras followed the sisters walking hand in hand towards the school as the cheers got louder and louder.
Match Day 3 of the 2010 International Saimoe League, Phase III was plagued by multivotes and sabotaged campaigns. A number of veterans were eliminated, and for some aspiring fresh faces, their journey ended in tears and reflection.
Ui defeated Suigintou 756-728 in Group 2 to progress to the field of 50.
At the victory rally inside the auditorium Ui performed "Oui! Ai no Kotoba" as a duet with Yui, who played a newly-purchased acoustic guitar to go with her trademark Les Paul.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Ui said to the crowd, who gave a standing ovation. "I believe I have a lot of people to thank: onee-chan, Tsumugi-san, Ritsu-san, Mio-san, Azusa-san and Sawako-sensei. But most of all, I want to thank you all for your support, and especially your patience. I will go into the tournament to do my best!"
Ritsu Tainaka and Tsumugi Kotobuki were eliminated in the preliminaries but had no regrets about the outcome.
"Two out of three ain't bad, but four out six is better," Tainaka admitted. "Although that also counts as two out of three if you break it down-OW!"
"Quit joking!" Mio Akiyama said.
"But, but...why me?"
"Because you deserve it!"
"Awwwww, Mioooo!"
"I think we have four of the best that will impress everyone at the ISML," Kotobuki said. "I am not going to be surprised if one of them contends for the Tiara."
"I have to let it be known that I gave it my best shot," said Kuroko Shirai at a press conference, who conceded the Group 1 race to Ikaros. "In the end, fate wasn't going to be on my side today. Nonetheless, I now extend my support to Mikoto Misaka-oneesama, who will lead the charge along with Ruiko Saten."
Ikaros defeated Shirai 778-663. Her partner Nymph defeated Suiseiseki 711-677.
"It was a long, long wait," Nymph said, "but me and Ikaros are in the International Saimoe League. Let's do this."
"The long wait is over," Ikaros said, breathing a huge sigh of relief. "Now we get the chance to test our skills on the big stage."
Nymph defeated Suiseiseki 711-677 to qualify via Group 3.
"I want to make one thing clear here: multivoting doesn't work," said a triumphant Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La valliere at her press conference, who rolled past Shiki Ryogi 852-630 to return to the ISML for a third straight year. "Our campaign was run cleanly, and the proxy voting was not as bad as the others we saw on Thursday. Personally, I am thrilled to return to the ISML once again, and I thank my fans and my friends for their support."
"There are 36 other girls out there that want to be in our shoes right now," said Ryou Fujibayashi, who will be reunited with older sister Kyou after a 711-610 victory over Mai Kawasumi in group 5. Speaking at her own victory rally in Hikarizaka High School. "This was a very tough set of preliminaries I took part in and I was very lucky to have qualified."
"Anybody who feels that we were just plain lucky to be here is a disgrace to the ISML and to moe in general," said Golden Darkness (Konjiki no Yami), who defeated Rena Ryuuguu 779-729 to win Group 4.
Other notable absentees from this year's International Saimoe League will include Shinku, Suiseiseki, Sakura Kinomoto, Ayumu Nishizawa and Chii.
ISML 2010 Preliminary Period, Phase III, Final Round - Results
Amae Koromo
(Saki) 506
Ikaros
(Sora no Otoshimono) 778
Katagiri Yūhi
(Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka) 413
Kotegawa Yui
(To Love-Ru) 506
Nishizawa Ayumu
(Hayate no Gotoku!) 621
Shirai Kuroko
(To Aru Majutsu no Index) 663
Sōseiseki
(Rozen Maiden) 546
Group 2
Hanato Kobato
(Kobato.) 486
Hinamori Amu
(Shugo Chara!) 416
Hirasawa Ui
(K-ON!) 756
Index Librorum Prohibitorum
(To Aru Majutsu no Index) 643
Sawatari Makoto
(Kanon) 457
Sonozaki Mion
(Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) 547
Suigintou
(Rozen Maiden) 728
Group 3
Enma Ai
(Jigoku Shōjo) 486
Kinomoto Sakura
(Cardcaptor Sakura) 657
Kurata Sayuri
(Kanon) 423
Nymph
(Sora no Otoshimono) 711
Suiseiseki
(Rozen Maiden) 677
Uiharu Kazari
(To Aru Kagaku no Railgun) 488
Yūki Mikan
(To Love-Ru) 591
Group 4
Alice
(Pandora Hearts) 512
Amamiya Yūko
(ef - a tale of memories) 498
Konjiki no Yami
(To Love-Ru) 779
Ryūgū Rena
(Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) 729
Sangō Shizuku
(Kämpfer) 494
Segawa Izumi
(Hayate no Gotoku!) 538
Tainaka Ritsu
(K-ON!) 483
Group 5
Chii
(Chobits) 521
Evangeline A.K. McDowell
(Mahō Sensei Negima!) 530
Fujibayashi Ryō
(CLANNAD) 711
Kawasumi Mai
(Kanon) 610
Nogizaka Haruka
(Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu) 483
Shinku
(Rozen Maiden) 569
Yagami Hayate
(Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha) 609
Group 6
Aizawa Sakuya
(Hayate no Gotoku!) 580
Kotobuki Tsumugi
(K-ON!) 534
Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière
(Zero no Tsukaima) 852
Minase Nayuki
(Kanon) 518
Ryōgi Shiki
(Kara no Kyōkai) 630
Sonozaki Shion
(Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) 491
Tsuruya
(Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu) 428
In Round 5 of seeding, Fate Testarossa edged Hitagi Senjougahara 727-701 to finish first, while Nanoha Takamachi topped the Round 6 of seeding with a 698-662 victory over Chizuru Akaba.
Seeding 5
Fate Testarossa
(Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha) 727
Holo
(Spice and Wolf) 555
Nakano Azusa
(K-ON!) 507
Sanzen'in Nagi
(Hayate no Gotoku!) 575
Sengoku Nadeko
(Bakemonogatari) 516
Senjōgahara Hitagi
(Bakemonogatari) 701
Tōsaka Rin
(Fate/stay night) 452
Seeding 6
Akaba Chizuru
(Seitokai no Ichizon) 662
Asahina Mikuru
(Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu) 552
Furude Rika
(Higurashi no Naku Koro ni) 621
Illyasviel von Einzbern
(Fate/stay night) 626
Saten Ruiko
(To Aru Kagaku no Railgun) 470
Sunohara Mei
(CLANNAD) 404
Takamachi Nanoha
(Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha) 698
With the Preliminaries complete, the regular season begins with the 2010 International Saimoe League Aquamarine stage. Match Day 1 is scheduled for Sunday, March 21, 2010. Vote for your favorite character online at InternationalSaimoe.com. And as always, be sure to follow the action on deviantART and the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue!
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